GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KNOX) – Five months after the initial filing of an appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court the legal brief on behalf of Salamah Pendleton has been made public.
Pendleton was convicted in the May 2020 shooting death of Grand Forks officer Cody Holte and Pendleton’s mother Lola Moore.
Among the arguments Defense Attorney Kiara Krauss-Parr raises a series of questions including: whether the district court committed a structural error in denying Pendleton’s constitutional right to a public trial, whether he had a right to be personally present during jury selection, and the possibility of jury misconduct.
The court sentenced Pendleton to life in prison without parole. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Sergeant Kelly McLean and Corporal Ron Nord.
The brief requests the state’s high court reverse the judgement of the trial court.
A date for oral arguments in the case has not been set.
